Temporal Layering of Signaling Effectors Drives Chromatin Remodeling During Hair Follicle Stem Cell Lineage Progression

The study demonstrated that hair follicle stem cell (HF-SC) lineage progression was driven by the temporal layering of signaling effectors and transcription factors, such as TCF3, TCF4, LEF1, and pSMAD1. Researchers used techniques like immunofluorescence, Western blot analysis, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and ChIP-seq to identify key molecular players. They found that the switch from WNT-effectors TCF3/TCF4 to LEF1 was crucial for activating hair cycle progression, while BMP signaling maintained HF-SC identity. The study highlighted the importance of precise timing and spatial dynamics of signaling pathways in chromatin remodeling, gene regulation, and hair follicle development, providing a high-resolution map of the signaling effectors governing hair lineage determination.